Looking forward to Sunday (7/16)

Preparing Your Heart for Worship - July 16, 2017

As we turn our thoughts to Romans 9, there will be many things that come out in our study of this great chapter. God’s continued faithfulness to His people, the trustworthiness of His Word, and the abundant overflow of His grace toward us are just a few things that stand out. As you think toward our time together this coming Sunday, be in prayer for those who will be leading as well as carefully thinking through the lyrics to the songs we’ll be singing. The songs are so rich and deep in directing our minds and hearts toward the Lord. As always, I’m really looking forward to our worship gathering this Sunday.  

All Because of Jesus

Just the title alone says so much! When you start thinking through the words, what a great expression of our thankfulness for all of the many daily blessings God pours out on us all! 

Glorious Christ

While we’ve only sang this song a few times, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. I love the Scripture saturated lyrics of this song. It really does paint a beautiful picture of Christ.   

Prayer of Praise

What better thing to do in the midst of our gathering than to pause and just simply praise God for who He is and all that He has done. (don’t forget to say “AMEN!” at the conclusion of the prayer as together we join in affirming our unity in praising God.)

Worship through Giving

Giving is an act of worship. The New Testament teaches that our giving should be sacrificial and joyous. When we give back to God, we are acknowledging that everything we have is because of His grace toward us. Whether you give weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or otherwise, use this time as an opportunity to meditate on your giving back to the Lord through Tithes & Offerings. 

Meditating on God’s Word

What a joy it is each week to hear someone reading directly from God’s Word. As the Scripture is read this morning, make effort to truly focus on hearing the Word. 

Pastoral Prayer of Petition

As we turn our thoughts back to the Lord and prepare to praise Him, we tune our minds and hearts to His amazing grace and declare together our desire to hear from Him. 

Amazing Grace

I was talking to an MSSU student recently about worship and music in the church and during our conversation the song “Amazing Grace” came up. His response was simply, “You just can’t go wrong with Amazing Grace.” I think he was right. It’s always a joy to sing this song! 

Speak O Lord

What a great reminder of the spiritual nourishment God’s Word brings to us. We should always strive to have the living Scriptures planted deep in our souls so that the resulting fruit honors God and points others to Christ. 

Sermon: God’s Faithfulness to His People - Romans 9:1-5

As we begin our study in Romans 9, we’ll see clearly the faithfulness of God in the midst of what Paul’s apparent opponents would have called a lack of faithfulness. What a joy it is to serve a God who has demonstrated so clearly His love for us. 

As you prepare your heart for our time together, here are some suggestions:

1. Read Romans 8:29-9:33

2. Go back and look at 9:1-5 and think through the following questions:

• What is the affirmation of the truth of Paul’s statement?

• What is the attitude of his heart toward those who have rejected Christ?

• What would Paul willingly do to see his fellow Jews be saved?

• What are the benefits that the Jewish people had been given?

• What does this passage say about who Christ is?  

3. Really listen to the songs included here (and on the Spotify playlist) so that when we gather, you’re ready to sing to the Lord with your brothers & sisters in Christ. 

Before the Throne of God Above

As we conclude our time in God’s Word, we’ll be singing this song together. While we’re singing this song congregationally, we can all think very personally as we sing. Because Christ died for me, I have a perfect plea before God’s throne. Jesus sits at God’s right hand and intercedes for me. Jesus brought and end to my sin. God looks on Christ and pardons me. He is my perfect spotless lamb. What a joy it is knowing that we can come into His presence confidently! 

Sunday Evening: James and The Lord’s Table

It’s always a special time to come to the Lord’s Table together. We’ll also be doing a very quick overview of the Epistle of James. Don’t miss this important time in our Body as we come together to celebrate the Gospel. 

As always, be in prayer for:

• Rex and all those who lead the music in our time together.

• Pray that we all come together on Sunday with hearts prepared to engage in intense, focused exaltation of God. 

• Pray that we demonstrate holiness, unity, and love in both our personal lives as well as together as the Body.

• Pray for me as I prepare to preach God’s inerrant Word

Rob